Bimaterial effect and favorable energy ratio enabled supershear rupture in the 2025 Mandalay earthquake.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41166462.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.ady6100.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Joint seismic and geodetic analyses revealed that the 2025 moment magnitude (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub>) 7.8 Mandalay, Myanmar, earthquake ruptured ~510 km of the Sagaing fault, with a sustained supershear rupture extending ~450 km on the southern branch. Far-field Mach waves and near-field ground motion confirmed the supershear nature. This exceptionally long supershear rupture caused building collapse and soil liquefaction, as observed in satellite imagery, offering insights into the damage potential of such ruptures in urban areas. Sustained supershear propagation was facilitated by the fault's linear geometry, prolonged interseismic quiescence, favorable energy ratio, and pronounced bimaterial contrasts across the fault interface. These findings underscore the roles of fault structure, stress accumulation, and material contrasts in governing rupture dynamics, demonstrating that large-scale supershear propagation can occur in interplate continental fault systems.